The Follow-Up SessionΒΆ
After all of the interviews are completed, the interview team gets together to discuss the candidate. Ideally, this should happen the same day, while the interviews are fresh in everyone’s minds.
Schedule this post-interview session at the same time you schedule the interviews. Don’t rely on it “just happening,” as it probably won’t.
There are three possible outcomes of this session:
- Hire
Everyone agrees, based on their interview areas, that the candidate is a Rock Star Engineer who should be part of our team.
Good job! The process worked. Now it’s up to the hiring manager and HR to put together an offer and get the candidate on board. (All of which is beyond the scope of this document.)
- Reject
In at least one area, the candidate was clearly not rock star material.
There’s no provision for partial credit here. A clear “no” in any one interview area is a “no” for the candidate. We don’t hire “good enough.” We hire Rock Stars. (A bunch of vague impressions or “maybes” also argue for rejecting the candidate.)
Good job! The process worked. True, you invested your time to not hire this candidate—and you’ll invest some more time to consider the next candidate. But that’s time well spent to maintain the quality of our team.
The hiring manager should contact the candidate to communicate the decision. (Promptly and respectfully. HR has some tips on how to constructively deliver disappointing news.)
- Need More Information
There are conflicting impressions or dissension.
This outcome is something of a problem, as it’s going to involve bringing the candidate back in for another session.
For the return visit, make certain everyone understands what information was missing or conflicting in the first round, and agree on a plan to reach a solid decision during the second round.
Be straightforward with the candidate. (“We didn’t get a consistent read on your commercial development experience, so we’d like to have you back to explore this area more.”)
In the future, you can try to avoid this outcome by using interviewing techniques that lead to a firm yes or no decision.
Close the Loop
No matter what the outcome, make sure exactly one person is responsible for communicating it to the candidate. (Typically the hiring manager.)
And then make sure the follow-up communication happens promptly. Don’t leave candidates dangling.